21st-century colour vision

The Rank Prize Symposium “21st-Century Colour Vision” was held at Leeming House, Ullswater in the Lake District from 13th to 17th of April 2026. The symposium was motivated by the enormous advances in both the science of human colour vision and the technology of colour displays and light sources that have occurred in the first quarter of this century. Since 1999, when the Rank Prize last hosted a symposium on colour vision, new cell types and neuronal circuits in the retina have been discovered, enabled by new techniques for recording neuronal activity, including multi-electrode arrays and adaptive optics-based imaging; CRT monitors have been largely superseded by LCD, LED, OLED, and QD displays, in both flat panel and immersive AR/VR modes; and novel methods of measuring and modelling individual differences in visual processing and behaviour, in both humans and AI, are rapidly developing.

The “21st Century Colour Vision” symposium brought together experts on colour vision from across the UK and worldwide, and addressed all of these advances and more. Talks at the symposium covered the breadth and depth of colour vision research, from retina to cortex, from individual cell recordings and behaviour in non-human species to colour cognition in humans, from meticulous perceptual and physiological experimentation to cutting edge mathematical and computer modelling studies. Revisions of traditional models of colour appearance were proposed, challenging concepts of brightness and complementary colours with new perceptual measurements. Intensive psychophysical experiments combined with computational modelling demonstrated the limits of human contrast and chromatic discrimination, and new lines of research focused on aligning these with new display technologies. As one of the lead speakers emphasized, technology must not be merely inspired by human vision, but informed by it. Exacting measurements of human visual perception, from low-level visual responses to high-level behaviours such as colour naming, and the influence of environmental statistics on these, are crucial in providing such information. The whole symposium provided a timely look at the history of colour vision research and the current state of the art, fostering lively debates about the challenges and opportunities to come. One significant outcome was the agreement that to understand and make the most of colour vision in human life, contributions and collaborations from multiple disciplines are needed, across science and technology.

Disscussions and debates flowed freely during coffee breaks, a drizzly hike up the hills, fine meals and late evenings in the bar. Chatham House rules meant that details and opinions on the latest research were shared respectfully but without restraint, as were fascinating stories of the great scientists who laid the groundwork for today’s advances, in brilliant and sometimes shocking ways.

The talks by ECRs were polished, topical and technically excellent. Judging the best presentation was therefore a very difficult task. The best presentation prize from a PhD student went to Callista Dyer (University of Pennsylvania) for her fascinating work on color-enhancement algorithms for people with colour vision deficiencies, and the postdoc prize went to Ian Pennock (University of Sussex) for his work applying models of colour vision and the optics of the eye to better understand and predict cortical activity measured with fMRI.

All delegates were enthusiastic in their appreciation of the Rank Prize and its generosity in sponsoring this important exchange of ideas and discoveries, in such a beautiful and welcoming setting.

Anya Hurlbert (Newcastle University, Rank Prize Optoelectronics Committee)

Andy Rider (UCL)